How I Work

THE MAKING OF ‘BEALE STREET, MEMPHIS – And from his trumpet flows the sound of honey mixed with liquid fire (acrylic on canvas 60×80 cm)’

01. I always start with a drawing/sketch based on my (travel) photos. Often I already have a color palette for the final version.

02. I simplify the composition drawing to a limited number of shades of gray.

03. I like working on a canvas that has been painted in a color tone that already corresponds to a color for the final version. That makes it easier to mix and match colors.

04. With a brush and diluted VanDijck brown I transfer the sketch to the canvas.

05. I start by applying the midtones from the color palette.

06. It is then easy to adjust the lighter and dark values.

07. When the lightest and darkest values (often not really white or black) are applied, it becomes clearer.

08. Sometimes I apply some contour lines around the figures. Then I have some ‘grip’ when I continue to draw with the brush.

09. I ‘draw’ with a brush and black paint. I no longer look at the original drawing/sketch. Based on my memory, I will make some aspects more recognizable. Sometimes I draw random shapes. In doing so, I always try to stay in the twilight zone between abstraction and realism. The final work must also provide sufficient room for ‘fantasy’ and ‘discovery’.